Four of our Royal Netherlands Air Force jets are earmarked for NATO Air Policing missions in the Baltic Sea area and another four will be made available for training with our Allies.

They can also be used immediately if the situation requires.

A total of eight modern F-35 jets along with a detachment of approx,150 men and women are now deployed to the Polish 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork, about 60 kilometers southeast of Gdansk.

They are now making preliminary flights to take over the NATO Air Policing mission under the control of the Uedem Joint Air Operations Center, Germany, in close collaboration with the Polish Air Force.

On Monday, a formation of six F-35 took off from Malbork for their first training mission.

“It has been a great experience to deploy our advanced fifth generation jets here to Malbork,” said Lieutenant Colonel Guido Schols, Commander of the Dutch F-35 detachment.

“By sending eight F-35, the Netherlands underlined their commitment to collective security in the region and contributed to demonstrating NATO presence in the air.

Four of our jets are allocated for Air Policing missions and another four will be made available for training with our Allies. They can also be used immediately if the situation requires it,” he added.

The deployment improves the posture of NATO all-time For the Security of the Nation every year.

Following Russia brutal invasion of Ukraine, the Allies have deployed additional air defense assets used under peacetime arrangements to protect the skies and ensure populations of the eastern states.

Already in 2014, the Polish Air Base in Malbork was activated to receive Allied fighter detachments following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.

The Dutch were one of the first Allies stationed here and flew their F-16 jets from Malbork under the NATO Guarantees Act at the time.

Story by Allied Air Command Public Affairs Office based on information provided by a Dutch F-35 detachment